(deleted comment)

[identity profile] sylvar.livejournal.com 2008-09-10 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Oops, I replied to your comment in another thread, below.

[identity profile] srmm.livejournal.com 2008-09-10 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
What are the messages behind the other magazines (I could see there were some but they didn't look full size)? Is it because some other patron is busy reading it? It does only say ID, so maybe your library card is also sufficient, but they don't want to exclude people who don't have library cards.

What would you do to keep them from getting swiped (if that's what the problem is)?

[identity profile] sylvar.livejournal.com 2008-09-10 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
They just say "Martha Stewart Living" so you put them back in the right place. Probably it's in case they get swiped; Consumer Reports was the only other magazine I saw that was treated this way. But the selection of Jet and Essence may have been discriminatory; I don't really know.

I'd use the existing theft-prevention system by putting anti-theft strips in magazines and/or getting magazine cases that are meant to protect against theft rather than simply preventing unintentional damage. Either of these options involves spending more money, though.

[identity profile] h-postmortemus.livejournal.com 2008-09-14 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
So when I worked at Gate we had these copper pot scrobbers, Chore Boy brand. Standard convenience store stuff, maybe $2 for a box of two.

They were so frequently shop-lifted that we eventually had to put them behind the counter. A little paper sign was put in their place telling people to come up to the counter and ask for them.

Why were the shoplifted? Well, according to some of the nearby residents, the crack junkies would use them in make-shift crackpipes. The copper would support the crack rocks but not burn when heated with a flame.

So sadly, yeah it's probably because those magazines get stolen and/or vandalized the most.